Birmingham City will kick off their 2020/21 season by hosting Cambridge United in the first round of the Carabao Cup at the St Andrews Trillion Trophy Stadium.

This tie will be head coach Aitor Karanka’s first competitive game in charge as Birmingham boss and he will be looking to hit the ground running after a shaky end to the previous season, with Birmingham winless in their last 10 EFL Championship games, finishing in 20th place.

Karanka’s side had a mixed pre-season, pitting themselves against tough opposition with defeats coming against Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City. Blues were also held to a draw against Charlton Athletic, but prevailed in an exuberant performance against Walsall F.C. earlier in the week, with standout pre-season performances coming from Odin Bailey, Dan Crowley (above) and Jérémie Bela. 

'I want to win this game'

When speaking about the upcoming fixture , Karanka told Sky Sports:

‘’We are treating Cambridge in the same way we would treat any opponent, it is vital for us to approach the game with the same mentality. We will give everything to win the match on Saturday. I will pick my strongest team for sure, I want to win this game."

'We're in good spirits'

The visitors, Cambridge United remained unbeaten during their pre-season, with draws coming against MK Dons and Gillingham as well as victory against Ipswich Town, winning 1-0. The U’s will be looking to cause an upset against a team two divisions above them, with head coach, Mark Bonner telling CUTV:

”‘We’re in good spirits and we’re showing good signs at the moment of what we want to become and where we want to be.”

The last clash between the two sides was in the same stage of the competition six years ago in the same venue, with Birmingham winning 3-1 after extra time with goals coming from Clayton Donaldson, Paul Caddis and Mark Duffy.

It has been ten seasons since Birmingham’s triumph in this competition, defying all odds to beat Arsenal at Wembley to lift the trophy, so can the Blues defy all odds once again and stage a lengthy run in this competition?